Footwear generates 700 million metric tons of CO₂ per year. Is it time to switch to sustainable options?
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Be Flamboyant
This Spanish brand is committed to using only cruelty-free materials to spare the lives of animals that are used by the fashion industry every year. Created with high quality and sustainable fabrics, all of these trainers are ethically made in Portugal and they are proudly PETA-approved too.
As part of their mission to make this world a better place, their trainers are produced with sustainability in mind, in that they actively fight deforestation. For example, they plant a tree for each pair of shoes sold to reforest areas destroyed by the wildfires in California. Oh, and all the styles are unisex too!
Shop online at beflamboyant.com
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Ethletic
Sustainable vegan shoe brand Ethletic makes cruelty-free trainers with Fairtrade cotton and natural vegan leather. Having started out making footballs, Ethletic launched its first pair of trainers in 2010 and then became Fairtrade certified for fairly traded organic cotton.
The world’s largest animal rights organisation PETA approved Ethletic in 2016. The company donates one US dollar per pair of shoes sold to people in need from Pakistan. Made for skaters and sporty types worldwide, it produces unisex high-tops and low-tops. The shoes contain natural rubber latex foam for stability and ventilation holes for fresh air.
The colourful high-tops featured at the top of this article are the hi-tops from Ethletic (£89.)
Shop online at ethletic.com or find them at Content Wellbeing London.
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Native Shoes
Since 2009, Native Shoes has been levelling up our wardrobe and our environmental impact, while staying as affordable as ever. Its motto? ‘We are all native to somewhere’. As such, Native believes it is a common responsibility to be aware of our impact on this place we all call home.
Created with an aim to respect the environment and the animals, Native Shoes is a Canadian brand that is completely vegan and offers styles for women, men and kids. With PETA-certified accreditation, Native Shoes is ‘Beast Free’ and it is now working to offer a recycling scheme too. Live Lightly™ is its trademarked line of trainers. Crafted with eco-friendly microfibre, these shoes are ultralight and perfect for travelling in or wearing to the gym.
Shop online at nativeshoes.com
Vegetarian Shoes
Founded by an art college graduate in 1990, who began making shoes himself using recycled materials, Vegetarian Shoes is still a small business with a shop based in Brighton. It offers a wide range of styles made using synthetic microfibre materials that look and feel like leather.
The new Vegan Runner is made with tough faux-suede and nylon mesh panels and is moisture-absorbing and breathable. The grippy, dual-density sole is squishy and flexible and flared for maximum surface area grip, stability and comfort. It comes in five colourways and we love the classic, old-school styling!
Shop at their Brighton store or online at vegetarian-shoes.co.uk
Womsh
Womsh is an acronym of ‘Word Of Mouth Shoes’ — this was chosen to symbolise shoes that communicate and convey a message, using word of mouth to promote respect for the environment. This Italian brand combines fashion with sustainability, Italian craftsmanship with ethical production, as well as respect for the environment and people.
Whilst not all of the shoes are vegan, they have a wide array of animal-free options available. This company was one of the first to use award-winning apple-based faux leather for their cruelty-free shoes, a material which is fully waterproof, hard-wearing and breathable.
Shop the collection online at womsh.com
VivoBareFoot
VivoBareFoot has become one of the most iconic brands of trainers in the UK thanks to its signature thin sole and wide fit. Yet, sustainable design has always been at the core of what they do and they have an amazing selection of vegan trainers to take you mountain climbing, cycling, gymming or anything else that your brave spirit desires!
Their goal is to have zero impact on the environment and create shoes with zero bio-mechanical interference that allow the foot to do its natural thing. Their vegan and cruelty-free range is not only good for the animals but for nature too!
The Primus Bio shoe is made from plant-based materials and their pioneering Ultra Bloom is made from algae. PET-recycled mesh keeps your feet cool, while non-marking rubber outsoles are thin and durable.
Shop online at vivobarefoot.com or at the Covent Garden Flagship store in London.
Find more vegan fashion tips here!
